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350-401 Practice Question: Is using Cisco DNA Center to manage a network…
A network engineer is using Cisco DNA Center to manage a network with multiple sites. The engineer wants to ensure that all devices at a remote site have the same NTP server configuration. The engineer creates a network profile with the NTP settings and assigns it to the site. After provisioning, the engineer checks one of the switches and finds that the NTP configuration is missing. What should the engineer check first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is jumping to recreate the profile or check device-level issues when the most common root cause in DNA Center provisioning failures is a site assignment mismatch — the profile exists but isn't bound to the device.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Verify that the device is assigned to the correct site in DNA Center.
In Cisco DNA Center, network profiles with settings like NTP are applied to devices based on site assignment. If a device is not assigned to the correct site, the profile settings will not be provisioned to it. The first thing to verify is that the device is assigned to the intended site, because site assignment is the mechanism that binds network profiles to devices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Verify that the device is assigned to the correct site in DNA Center.
Why this is correct
Network profiles bind settings such as NTP to a site, and DNA Center only pushes them to devices associated with that site. If the switch sits under a different site hierarchy, provisioning silently omits the NTP configuration, so verifying site assignment is the logical first check.
- ✗
Check if the NTP server is reachable from the device.
Why it's wrong here
NTP reachability would only explain a device rejecting a pushed configuration, not the configuration being absent entirely. The engineer should first verify that the network profile's NTP settings were actually applied to the site and that the device was included in the provisioning scope, since unassigned or unprovisioned devices receive nothing.
- ✗
Ensure that the device is running a supported IOS version.
Why it's wrong here
IOS version support affects whether DNA Center can push configuration templates at all, but the profile was already provisioned successfully, so version compatibility is not the missing link. Checking it is tempting because unsupported releases do block provisioning; here the NTP settings themselves were never applied.
- ✗
Recreate the network profile with the correct NTP settings.
Why it's wrong here
Recreating the profile repeats the same assignment without diagnosing why the NTP settings failed to reach the device, so the fault persists. It is tempting because profile misconfiguration is a common cause; the engineer should first verify the device was actually provisioned and the profile correctly bound.
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SDN Controllers and Cisco ACI
Key term
Cisco DNA Center
A centralized network management and automation platform from Cisco that provides intent-based networking for easier configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Cisco devices.
Key term
Network Time Protocol
Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol that synchronizes the clocks of computers and devices over a network to a common reference time source, typically Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 350-401 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-401 exam.